EPP Corporation-Plastic Machining Experts » machining

Plastic Machining: Selecting The Right Plastic Machining Vendor For Your Custom Plastic Machined Parts

admin — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:37:31 +0000

Not all plastic machining vendors are equipped to offer all parts. Others may not be able to give you the best prices. The following guidelines can help you locate a fully-qualified, cost effective plastic machining specialist for all your plastic machined components:

Be sure to ask potential plastic machined parts vendors how they comply with these guidelines.

If you have a need for plastic machined components, request a quote!

Plastic Machining: Custom Plastic Components- Molding vs. Machining

admin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:11:54 +0000

With every project that includes plastic components, you will need to answer the question, “Should I machine or mold this part?”

The two major factors needed to reach your conclusion are quantity of parts and level of dimensional tolerance. As a general rule, you should consider plastic machining when lower volumes are needed or tighter tolerances on the dimensions are needed – or both.

Quantity of parts is significant because of the tool cost of a molded part. If you are injection molding your part, the molding tool will typically cost several thousand dollars and tooling for complex parts can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Tool costs can make injection molding unfeasible for a low volume run.

Quantities between 100 and 1,000 – on some parts even up to 5,000 – are usually good candidates for conventional or milled plastic machining. Screw machining of plastics can be practical and cost effective from 500 pieces all the way up to 100,000 pieces or more.

Tolerance is a factor because plastic machined parts can typically be produced at a tighter tolerance than molded parts. Each plastic material behaves differently, but you can generally achieve tolerances +/- .005” for molded parts. Plastic machined parts can be produced +/- .001” or better depending on the material and design. This is why critically precise industries – like instrumentation, medical equipment, aerospace, fluid power, telecommunications, and many others – have turned to plastic machining for component needs.

One last advantage to plastic machining is flexibility of design. Once an injection mold has been produced, it can create only that design and any modification to the design requires expensive changes in the mold. Design changes to plastic machined parts are immediate and have virtually no impact on tooling costs.

Plastic Machining: Design Guide for Plastic Parts

admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:18:58 +0000

How to use the Plastic Design Guide

Refer to the Design Considerations at the bottom of this page. Consider whether each item on the checklist is a factor in the application or affects performance requirements for the component design.
Select the categories that have the greatest affect on your application.
Review the materials in the Plastic Properties Handbook and make a list of possible material candidates.
Contact our technical support to discuss options or ask additional questions.

Plastic Machining Design Considerations

Thermosensitivity – tolerance can change in different temperature conditions
Sensitivity to humidity and hygroscopic absorption affects tolerance
Sensitivity to chemicals and oils
Notch sensitive corners and square ID’s
Tolerances
High loads
High impact
Fatigue loading or cycle loading requires consideration of flexing, deflecting, and compression
Temperature – max/min extent of time
Electrical considerations such as insulating properties
Wear resistance or abrasion resistance
Dimensional shape retention (load, cold flow, temperature)
Regulatory requirements (FDA, UL, etc.)
Appearance (color, texture)
Optical requirements
Outdoor use

Now that you’ve identified the important factors in your application, evaluate material specs in the Plastic Properties Handbook and select your material!

Plastic Machining: Selecting a Plastic Machining Vendor- Looking for the Best

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:39:59 +0000

Selection of a truly qualified plastic machining vendor is extremely important in today’s business environment. The time it takes to ask the right questions will pay big dividends – helping you obtain high quality machined plastic parts. And even though the rules for service and quality seem to be continually evolving, getting the best part at the lowest possible price is still the golden rule of purchasing.

If you’re looking for a plastic machining supplier, don’t settle for anything less than the best. Request a Quote from EPP Corporation today.

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Plastic Machining: Selecting a Plastic Machining Vendor: Quality & Price

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:33:40 +0000

Quality, of course, is directly related to price. Make sure the vendors you interview can provide the highest quality part at the lowest price. Plastic machining vendors can keep errors to a minimum if they are highly process driven, are ISO Certified, use documented SPC procedures, and own the proper inspection equipment such as CMM or video inspection systems. The plastic machining vendor with the fewest errors will produce the highest quality and at the lowest cost.

Make sure the supplier is familiar with each machining process you need for your application, as well as with the specific plastic material you will be using. Experience, more than anything else, will help make sure a supplier offers you the most cost-effective part with the best quality.

If you’d like to see how a process driven, high quality machining vendor compares to your current supplier, Request a Quote from EPP Corporation.

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Plastic Machining: Selecting a Plastic Machining Vendor- Equipment

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:22:14 +0000

Ask about the type of equipment the potential plastic machining vendor uses. The well-equipped plastic machining vendor will look pretty much like a metal machining shop, but the true plastic machining specialist will have equipment that has been adjusted or re-built expressly for machining plastic material. The right equipment will machine plastic using the correct speeds, feeds and tooling, and won’t pose the threat of contamination faced when metal-machining equipment is utilized. The right equipment will also insure higher quality plastic machined parts with better finishes and less chance of chips, burrs and other imperfections.

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Plastic Machining: Selecting a Plastic Machining Vendor- Purchasing Practices

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:58:19 +0000

Just as a metal machine shop is unlikely to have the material knowledge you need, neither are they going to be able to purchase plastics in large enough quantities to provide you with the best price.

Likewise, find out if the plastic machining vendor candidates you are considering can purchase materials directly from material manufacturer. If they rely on plastic distributors for materials, make sure their vendors are up on the latest material technology. Plastic technology is constantly changing with new materials introduced all the time.

One of your goals should be to make sure that your plastic machining firm’s materials purchasing practices are as good as yours.

To find out more about EPP Corporation’s purchasing practices, contact us today!

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Plastic Machining: Selecting a Plastic Machining Vendor- Material Knowledge

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:39:28 +0000

Quiz potential vendors on their knowledge of various materials and applications. Ask them to share the information they have from their material manufacturers. Do they have any property charts or plastic material handbooks to give you? Specialists in plastic machining should have a wealth of up-to-date information.

Material knowledge is a critical area. Good plastic machining firms must be willing to educate you before you finalize your choices, and help you find the best material for your application.

If you need assistance selecting a plastic material for your current project, EPP Corporation is happy to help! Contact us today!

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